Inexcusable All-Star snub first thing that has gone wrong for rookie Boesch all year

I was not surprised that Brennan Boesch was not named to the All-Star team. That was an unfortunate oversight. But I was shocked he didn't at least make the five-man ballot for wild card consolation prize. That was just wrong. I mean, if Boesch had enough plate appearances to qualify for the official list of league leaders, going into Monday's matinee against the Orioles, he would been leading in the American League in hitting with a .345 average, ahead of All-Stars Justin Morneau, Robinson Cano and the others, and he would have ranked fourth in slugging percentage at .605, trailing only Miguel Cabrera (.630), Josh Hamilton (.617) and Morneau (.615). Boesch is having the kind of year everyone expected Atlanta rookie Jason Heyward to have. Except that Hayward is batting a mere .251 with a .455 slugging percentage. Nevertheless, while Boesch was inexcusably ignored, Heyward was elected to the NL starting lineup strictly because of his preseason hype, even though he has an injured thumband probably will not play. I ask you: Where is the sanity or justice in that? How could he not at least be included in the five-player internet runoff? Remember how much fun that election was last year when Brandon Inge won? And, even though he slipped into the game through the back door, so to speak, no player ever enjoyed being an All-Star more than Inge did. "That was probably the most gratifying experience I've had in my life," Inge admitted. The All-Star snub was the first thing that's gone wrong for the kid this year. And the disappointment clearly showed on his face. "It's been a dream of mine since I was a little kid," he confessed, now all grown up at 25. Next week's All-Star Game in Anaheim would have been a homecoming for Boesch, who is Southern California born and bred. Boesch would have been able to buy as many tickets as he could afford for his family and friends. "We've never had a player who made the All-Star team and couldn't get all the tickets he wanted," said Bill Brown, the Tigers' long-time traveling secretary who is in charge of such things. It would have been a three-day party, whether Boesch actually got into the game or not. Boesch is a victim of the socialistic, and I think silly, rule that says every team must have an All-Star -- whether that team has a deserving player or not. And, for me as well as for a lot of baseball fans, the July 13 All-Star Game will be further diminished by Boesch's absence.

Jim, I couldn't have said it any better myself. Are they kidding with Delmon Young? Swisher? Please.

p.s. Thanks for the great book on Al Kaline. I've been waiting for someone to write a book on Kaline, who, in my opinion, doesn't get enough respect for the Hall of Fame career he had. If Al had played for the Yankees or the Red Sox, this simple kid from Baltimore would have become a superstar, but that's why we love Kaline so much. He's a modest man, who loved playing baseball, and loved the fans of Detroit.

About Me

Jim Hawkins began covering the Tigers as a baseball beat writer in 1970. Has chronicled the exploits of the Tigers from the days of Al Kaline, Norm Cash, Denny McLain, Billy Martin, and Mark ("The Bird") Fidrych to Jim Leyland, Magglio Ordonez, Justin Verlander, Curtis Granderson and Joel Zumaya.